On April 8, 1993, a Beech B19 (registration N6986R) operated by Sanford Gorzelsky was involved in an aviation accident near Old Bridge, NJ. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's decision to depart from and land at an airport that was closed, which contributed to the bounced landings and subsequent nose gear collapse. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot departed a NOTAM-closed airport for local flight, bounced twice on return, collapsed the nose gear, and suffered a post-crash fire.
What happened
The pilot initiated a local flight departing from an airport that was currently closed, as indicated by a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). Upon returning to the departure airfield for landing, the pilot's first attempt resulted in a bounced touchdown. The pilot elected to execute a go-around rather than aborting the approach entirely.
During the subsequent second landing attempt at the same airport, the aircraft bounced again upon contact with the runway surface. This impact caused the nose landing gear to collapse. Following the structural failure, the airplane slid along the runway pavement before coming to a complete stop. A fire broke out on the aircraft after it had ceased movement.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the ground contact and subsequent structural damage. Examination confirmed that the nose gear failed due to the impact forces generated by the bounced landings. The post-crash fire was attributed to the rupture of fuel lines or components during the sliding phase after the gear collapse.
Findings
The pilot departed from an airport that was NOTAM closed
The first landing attempt resulted in a bounced touchdown followed by a go-around
The second landing attempt also resulted in a bounced touchdown
A collapsed nose gear occurred during the second landing
The airplane slid to a stop on the runway surface
A post-crash fire erupted after the aircraft stopped
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to depart from and land at an airport that was closed, which contributed to the bounced landings and subsequent nose gear collapse.